Sleigh attachment for motor-driven vehicles



May 6 1924.

S. S. GRIFFIN SLEIGH ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR DRIVEN VEHICLES Filed Fe 28 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY.

May 5, 1924. 1,493,339

s. s. GRIFFIN SLEIGH ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR DRIVEN VEHICLES Filed Feb. 28', 1923 s Sheets-Shet 2 lilillllgllI-llll-lllll-llllll INVENTOR.

N I I BY I g Q 1 ATTORNEY. v

May 6, 1924.

S. S. GRIFFIN SLEIGH ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR DRIVEN VEHICLES Filed Feb. 28, 1923 3 sheets sheet 3 A TTORNEY.

Patented May 6, 1924.

UNITED STATES SIDNEY S. GRIFFIN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN,

snnren ATTACHMENT ron norron-nnrvnn vEnIic ns H Application filed February 28, 1923. Serial No.- 621,864.

I all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatl, .SIDNEY 5., GRIFFIN, a citizen. of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Sleigh Attachments for Motor-Driven Vehicles, of which the following is a specification. g This inventionrrelate-sto sled runner attachment for motor driven ,vehicles, and has for one of its objects torsimplify and improve the construction and increase the efficiency and utility of devices of thischaracterh 7 Another object of the invention is toprovide a device of this character including a novel arrangement of the runners whereby they are kept clean 7 from the accumulations of snow andwhereby in coaction with ice or snow engaging tractor wheels 'a certain amount of gatheredsnow will be heldin -position to operate as an anti-skid element, to 1prevent lateral displacement of the vehi e. V

Withthese and other objects in view the invention consists certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and de scribed and then specifically pointed out theclaims, and in the drawings illustrative of the. preferred embodim'entof the invention a r I i Figure 1 is a plan view of the, running gear of a conventional motor drivenvehicle including the front and rear axles, improvement applied. I

Figure 2 isa sideelevation of the parts showninFigure 1.

w Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section, 'of one of the rear runners and its traction wheel and operating mechanism. Figure 4 is a longitudinal section .on the line 44: of Figure I Figure 5 is an enlarged side elevation of one of theforward runners partly in section. Figure 6 is an enlarged plan view ofthe forward runners in section on line 6--6 o Figure 5.- I I v 1 a 5 Figure 7 is a'plan view of the rear runners, partly in' section. \Y j The improved device comprises inzgeneral a pairof' coupled forward runners, having bearings whereby they may be mounted on the journals of the forward-axle, and a pair of coupled-runners having bearings whereby they may be coupled to the rear axle of a motor driven vehicle; t

is represented at 1 6 and with the I For the purpose of illustration the device 7 is shown applied .to the supporting frame of a conventional motor'driven vehicle, and including the rear ordriven' axle casing 10 havin the, terminal journals' ll, the'usual brake%) sented at 13 with its journals 1e and coupled to the rear axle; casing 10 ,by'the usualtie rods 15' The casing for the differential gear a part of. the drive shaft housingv at 17 v Each of the forward runners is formed in two portions l8 van d" 19 curving upwardly toward the fl-011mm ,unitedin close prox imit'y at-20 toan upper horiiz ontal'rail 21,

ands 12. The forward axle is reprethe two parts of the 'runne-r .-diverging'or;

will automatically clearthemselves of acspreading toward therear, 'as'shown', so'th'at {as the runners areodrawn over the snow they Another advantage gained by forming the z "y runners each in twoparts is thatthe runners are thereby effectually prevented from skidlding or slipping laterally, as the grip on the snow against lateral movement is thereby V materially increased.

ing 22 to receive the journals 14= of the forward axle ngiechanis v i a Mounted on each ofthe rails isabear- I .Extending between therunnerrportions 18 and 19 and the rails 21Ia-re' substantially 3 ,6 1-

tical stays 23 in spacedrelation,,,eachfouter pair of the,staysbeingconnected by'a guide I rod 2 f. Slidable on each guide rod is a tubular spacer member' 25,]and journaled upon the rods are transverse stay bars 26, the

bars being maintained in spaced relation. by

the tubular spacer:members '25, whilelat the same time. each'pai-r of spacer rods are movable longitudinally' of the runners a'c'ertain extent. j l

=Each ofthe' bars 26ispiercedinterme ate the ends with a longitudinal slot {and loosely engagingv throughfthese slots 'i'sjiia holding bar 28 having'stops 29 in. theeiids externally of the outer :faces of the bars 25.

.By -this means a. certainrdegree of. looseness or: play v is: provided for between the runners, to'preventcrampingorbinding ineventio'f the steering knuckles beingi'turned -.abnor amally-to the rightor left e f v .Byth's means-the forward, runners/array be turned to the right orleft to-therequired extent to steerthe vehiclerinthe same manneras when the tractor wheels are in posi tion on the journals of the forward axle, but will be prevented by the checking action of the member 28 and its spaced stops 29 from abnormal lateral movement. 7

The rear runners are substantially the same in outline as the forward runnersand each comprises two portions 30 and 31 curving upwardly toward the front and united in close proximity at 32 to an, upper hori- Zonta l rail 33, the two parts of the runners diverging or spreading toward the rear in the same manner as the forward runners and for the same purpose, as before described.

In the rear runner construction the upper rail 33 is stopped short of the lower or snow engaging portions and 31 and is turned down in two portions as represented at 34 and 35 and riveted or otherwise secured to the runner members 30 and 31 as represented at 36 and 37.

Supported by rivets or the like as shown at 38 and 29 to the runner members 30 and 31 near the rear, are housings in which the tractor devices are mounted. Each housing comprises side walls 40 and 41 and connecting top portions 42 and each supported by a brace 43 from the shortened rail 33, as shown. The bearings 44' for the rear axle journals 11 are mounted on the braces 43, and also mounted respectively on the journals 11 are chain wheels 45 and 46.

Attached to the outer faces of the side wa1ls'40 and 41 ofthe tractor wheel housings are reinforcing plates 47 and 48, the latter having downwardly opening slots 49 and 50 which register with corresponding slots 51 and 52 in the housing walls 40 and 41, as represented in Figure 4.

A stay .53 is attached to the downturned portions 34 of the forward runners, and opcrates to rigidly support the latter from lateral displacement.

A shaft 54 extends through the registering slots in the housings as shown more clearly in Figure 4 and carries a tractor wheel 55, preferably toothed, and extending through the space between the runner members 30 and- 31. By this arrangement the tractor wheels can be adjusted vertically but are held from forward or rearward movement by the walls of the slots.

Engaging each of the shafts 54 at oppo- 71 site sides of the wheels 55 are yoke devices "56, and from the upper end of each yoke a guide stud 57 extends through the adjacent top; 43 of the housing. The tractor wheels operate respectively between the walls of the yoke devices with the hubs of the tractor wheel engaging the inner faces of the same, as shown in Fig; 4. I

A relatively strong spring '58 surrounds each of the guide studs 57 and exerts their force to hold the wheels 55 yieldably in lower or operative position.

Mounted on each of the shafts 54 next to each wheel 55 and between the walls of the housing, is a relatively small chain wheel 59 over which and the wheels 46 endless chains 60 operate.

By this means the motion of the rear axle journal is imparted to the tractor wheels, and the latter held yieldably in the downward and operative position.

As the vehicle is moved forwardly the rotating tractor wheels engaging the snow or ice between the diverging runner members 30 and 31, force the vehicle forwardly while at the same time the snow gathering between the rearwardly diverging runners effectually prevents skidding or undue lateral movement by increasing the lateral resistance to the movement of the runners.

The improved device is simple in construction, can be manufactured of anysuitable material and of any required size and adapted to vehicles of various sizes from the heaviest trucks to the lightest runabouts. The preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the drawings and set forth in the specification, but it will be understood that modifications within the scope of the claimed invention may be made in the construction without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. In a sleigh attachment for motor driven vehicles, runner devices having meansadapted to. support said runner devices on the axle journals of the vehicle, each runner device including a snow engaging portion formed of two parts diverging toward the rear, whereby the runners are self clearing and prevented from lateral displacement or skidding. A

2. In a sleigh attachment for motor driven vehicles, runner devices adapted to support the axle journals of the vehicle and each including a snow engaging portion formed of two parts diverging toward .the rear, a tractor wheel carried by each runner and engaging the snow between the diverging runner parts, and means adapted to operate the tractor wheels from the rear axle of the vehicle.

3. In a sleigh attachment for motor drivon vehicles, runner devices adapted to support the axle journals of the vehicle and each including a snow engaging portion formed of two parts diverging toward the rear, a housing supported by the diverging runner parts and provided with vertical guide slots, shafts slidable and rotative in said slots, a tractor wheel carried by each shaft and extending between said runner parts, and means adapted to operate the tractor wheels from the rear axle of the motor driven vehicle.

4. In a sleigh attachment for motor'driven vehicles, runner devices adapted to support the axle journals of the vehicle and each'including a snow engaging portion formed of two parts diverging toward the rear, a housing supported by the diverging runner parts and provided with vertical guide slots, shafts slidable and rotative in said slots, a tractor Wheel carried by each shaft and extending between said runner parts, a yoke device engaging said shaft, and means for yieldably supporting said yoke device relative to said housing.

5. In a sleigh attachment for motor driv- SIDNEY S. GRIFFIN.

' hereto. 

